Parts of the new Jungle Book film have a goofy, happy-go-lucky charm, a throwback to the Sixties version. And yet, for the most part this new Jungle Book is shockingly dark, replacing the psychological conflict and nuanced family dynamics of Kipling’s original stories with sporadic violence and a pervasive air of menace.

Source: A Darker Jungle by Christopher Benfey | NYR Daily | The New York Review of Books